Featured: Will the Galaxy Note 2 Crush the LG Optimus VU 2?

The LG Optimus VU was LG’s alternative to Samsung’s Galaxy Note. However, it had a strange 4:3 ratio compare to the Note’s 16:10, a much weaker stylus (compared to Samsung’s Wacom-made pressure sensitive stylus), as well as a lower 1024×768 resolution compared to the Note’s 1280×800.

We don’t know much about the Galaxy Note 2 yet, other than the fact that it may launch probably a few days earlier before the IFA event in Berlin this year, so at the end of next month. My guess is we’re going to see it with at least the same processor that we see in the Galaxy S3 today, if not a slightly overclocked one. It would be even better if it would launch with the dual core Exynos 5, but seeing how it’s launching this early, and we haven’t heard any official word from Samsung about a future product with Exynos 5, my guess is the Note will just use the GS3 Exynos 4 Quad.

Rumors also say it will have a resolution of 1680×1050, which at a rumored display size of 5.5″, would put it at a whooping 360 PPI. The Note 2 has also been rumored to come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and going by how manufacturers have handled prior upgrades, it’s a little surprising, although it really shouldn’t be. We should expect to see phones that comes 2 months after the launch of a new version of Android to be on that version, rather than on the previous one. My guess is Google also gave Samsung the PDK beta for Jelly Bean, and this may be why Samsung will arrive with Jelly Bean faster than others on the market.

Rumors also say that it may come with 2 GB of RAM and they haven’t decided yet if they’re going to use an 8MP camera or a 12-13 MP one. If I were to bet I’d say it iwll be 8 MP, simply because they think people want this large device for different reasons than just shooting pictures with it, so they won’t care as much about the MP number of the camera. Plus, it will save them some money.

Now, if we compare all this with the rumored specs of the LG Optimus VU 2, we find out that the VU 2 can barely hold its own, with its much fewer upgrades over the first version. It’s rumored to have:

dual core Snapdragon S4

1024×768 resolution

4:3 ratio 5″ display

Android 4.0

8 MP camera

1 or 2 GB of RAM

I think the fact that uses the same screen resolution, which was already lower than the first Galaxy Note, and that fact that it uses Android 4.0, will be quite big disappointments about the LG Optimus VU 2, especially if you don’t like its 4:3 screen ratio to begin with. So unless the LG Optimus VU 2 will have a significantly lower price (and a good stylus), I don’t see why anyone would want it over the upcoming Galaxy Note 2.